Okay lah, confession time. When I first heard Interpol seized 30,000 live animals last month, my kopi almost came out through my nose. Thirty thousand. That's like emptying out twenty five Singtel shops full of smuggled star tortoises and day geckos instead of iPhones. But this is no laughing matter, really. The ninth Operation Thunder in 2025 just exposed how wildlife trafficking has become more organised than your favourite pasar malam nasi lemak queue.

Now, Singapore did us proud ah. Our NParks warriors raided six premises, found CITES-listed treasures like yellow-headed geckos and leopard tortoises being peddled on Telegram. Telegram. Where your auntie forwards chain messages about ginger preventing COVID, others use it to trade endangered species. Don't play play. Even more jaw-dropping. That Changi Airport rhino horn bust last month. Thirty five point seven kilos. Twenty horns hidden in cargo heading to Laos. Estimated value. One point one three million Singapore dollars. This kind of money can buy how many HDB flats.

But here's the kicker. For all our ah beng ah lian smugglers getting caught, the real taikors stay comfortably anonymous. Interpol Secretary General spilled the teh tarik. These syndicates now overlap with drug runners and human traffickers. They use same routes, same money laundering tricks, same dark web marketplaces where you can order tiger bones like GrabFood. Wildlife crime's annual value officially US$20 billion, but real figure could make even Elon Musk blink. Because let's be honest. When Tanzanian cops find zebra steaks next to giraffe burgers in some freezer, you know this isn't just some kampung side hustle anymore.

What chills my bones more. Bushmeat trade rising like poorly proofed prata dough. Five point eight tonnes seized globally. Four hundred kilos of giraffe meat in Kenya. Imagine how much slips through. My Malaysian colleague tells me some pasar tani near Johor Bahru still quietly sells exotic meats to ‘health enthusiasts’. All while Southeast Asian forests grow quieter every year.

But let's not be downhearted la. Operation Thunder involved 134 countries. Even Laos and Myanmar joined. More raids, more seizures, more international handshakes. Singapore prosecuting not just smugglers but buyers. Last year someone actually got fined seven grand for purchasing smuggled dachshund. Progress mah. And our Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation sounds like five star resort compared to where these animals came from.

Still. Reality check. While we celebrate thirty thousand rescues, how many died in transit. How many ‘legal’ exotic pet shops operate as fronts. How many corrupt officials wink at logging trucks carrying meranti trees older than Merdeka. Our region’s enforcement remains lopsided. Thailand cracks down on tiger temples, but Vietnamese rhino horn dealers operate semi openly. Malaysia strengthens penalties, but Indonesia’s vast archipelago remains sieve-like. Like that how to win.

The hopeful angle. Ordinary folks waking up. When NParks publishes seizure photos on social media, netizens erupt. ‘Aiyoh poor leopard tortoise. Why people so cruel.’ Gen Z joining conservation groups. Traditional medicine shops in Chinatown voluntarily displaying ‘no rhino horn here’ certificates. Small wins, but important ones.

Ultimately, wildlife trafficking isn't just about sad animals. It's about governance. Tax evasion. Crime syndicates mocking national sovereignty. When Singapore intercepts Laos-bound rhino horns shipped via South Africa, it's a planetary game of cheat and retreat. But our little red dot punches above its weight. New digital detection tools at Changi. Cross training between customs and wildlife officers. Even teh cheng peng collaborations with Interpol.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway. Wildlife crime now recognized alongside drugs and arms trafficking as serious transnational threat. No more ‘oops uncle didn't know’ excuses. More sharing of DNA databases to trace seized ivory. More pressure on e-commerce platforms to monitor exotic pet sales. The battle's still uphill, but at least we’re climbing together. Even small actions matter. Like reporting suspicious Telegram groups. Or choosing synthetic alternatives for traditional remedies. Every time someone says ‘no’ to wildlife products, another domino falls in this elaborate criminal Jenga.

So next time you see some fancy ang moh posting Instagram videos with captive sun bears in Phuket, don't just scroll past. Report. When your colleague brags about cheap ‘authentic’ Traditional Chinese Medicine from Batam, give them side-eye. And when Interpol announces another Thunder operation, cheer them on. Because protecting biodiversity isn't some tree hugger fantasy. It's about keeping criminal empires from turning our shared natural heritage into their private ATM. Our grandchildren deserve forests with actual hornbills, not just holograms. So. Can we do it. Of course lah. Slowly, slowly. But surely.